776. Cicero on Politics and the Limits of Reason, by Jed. W. Atkins.

776.   January 16, 2018.  Cicero on Politics and the Limits of Reason, by Jed. W. Atkins.  Atkins advances the argument that Cicero argues in De Republica and De Legibus that reason and the perfect natural law are the essential weapons for a statesman to have.  But these tools need to be put into play in light of history, the people of a particular nation, their customs and in light of chance circumstances which take place.  He also argues that the De Republica and De Legibus were meant to be taken together.  Atkins asserts that Cicero felt that politics, reform and the goals of perfection must be viewed in terms of the art of what is possible.  Hence the title of the book:  Cicero on Politics and the Limits of Reason.

It is interesting that Atkins feels compelled to deal with the view of a long list of scholars who find it almost impossible to imagine that any Roman, let alone Cicero, could possess the innovative intellect of a Greek.  It has always struck me that Classicists can possess deep seated prejudices just like anyone else.

I would recommend reading Bruce Frier’s, The Rise of the Roman Jurists and Alan Watson’s The Spirit of Roman Law.  These would be of great value in assessing Cicero’s innovative nature and the arguments presented by Jed. W. Atkins.